Confused But Content
by Roze Alchemist
Summary: Something is happening. Akatsuki is moving. Konoha has strangers in her midst, and everyone is confused. But the real question is, who's side are you truly on? Warning: Yaoi
1. Mysteries

Bored ice blue eyes scanned the dark room. The blonde figure was slumped against the cool, rough wall, head hung as he surveyed his surroundings. It was small, dark, damp and devoid of anything sharp. The perfect place to confine a ninja, right? Of course, which is why he was still sitting inside. That and the black seals that had been placed around his wrists to confine his chakra.

The village was being extra cautious, using seals on a man they weren't even sure was a ninja. For all they knew he was a merchant. Though, if they asked he wouldn't lie. No, he never lied. He just didn't answer the questions he didn't want to answer truthfully. It was one of the habits he had since he had left home for good. He was sick of getting lied to, so he chose to start fixing the problem by being honest. Well, honest verbally. Just thinking about the days past, he would grow dark with sorrow and anger. His past was something he had given up. Something he refused to look back at.

A creak from the door a few feet in front of him, brought the man out of his musings. He didn't feel shame at not having noticed the presence of the masked ANBU ninja as they entered the cell. He was imprisoned; he didn't truly need to be alert. At least not yet.

The figure moved forward, slowly coming to a stop in front of the man. Joints aching with the slowness of the move, the ANBU member crouched down in front of his prisoner. Bringing his masked, crows face within inches of his prisoners he asked, "What's your name?"

Blue eyes blinked slowly. That was not the first question he expected. With a mental shrug, the man answered quietly, "They call me Riku."

"Riku? That's what they call you?" the ANBU asked. "They call me Crow," he added as an after thought. "Now, if you wouldn't mind telling me your real name?" he pressured.

Riku shook his head, "I don't like to dig up painful memories with others, please don't do so with me."

Nodding slightly Crow continued, "Alright, we'll leave that till later. What was your business in our village?"

"Business," came the short reply.

"What type?" was the even shorter response.

"I don't ask about the type of business you conduct, don't ask about mine," Riku stated tersely.

Crow brought his face closer, in a threatening manner, "I need answers, Riku."

The prisoner just shrugged, "I need to get on with my business, yet we both seem to be stuck."

There was a moment of silence before Crow tried again. "Who is this 'they' that call you Riku?"

A small smile appeared on the blonde's face, "You, others. My friends, my comrades, my partners, my family, anyone who knows me now."

Crow nodded once again before standing up. Without another word, the ANBU left the room, leaving the prisoner in solitude once again.

A winning smile crawled over Riku's lips as he watched the door. He knew he had gotten off light. Next time the questioning would be more persistent, more painful. He could handle it. How many years of training did he undergo? How many times had he stabbed himself in cold blood to get over the pain? No, physical pain was not his weakness. No, it was all mental.

He needed to be freed quickly, however. He could with stand the pain, but this village… if they persisted they might discover the truth. Someone might recognize him. The chakra seals, as well, could pose a problem. As strong as he was, he was struggling to keep his disguise in place with the majority of his chakra sealed off.

"Come quickly, Itachi," he whispered to the empty room. He knew no one was listening, knew no one was watching. They would only notice if he screamed.

That was it! If Itachi didn't come by the end of the night, he would set his plan into action.

Night fell and there was still no sign of Itachi. Instead, there had been several ANBU members in and out of his cell. Each one asking questions, each one prying into his mind, each one more difficult than the last. Yet, none came away with more information than he wished them to. His name was Riku, he was here on business, he didn't like personal questions.

Each interrogation left a new wound. Slashes, stabs, gashes, he had had it all before. Training had been difficult, but it was possible to overcome the pain. And he had learned to do that many years ago.

With a small grin, Riku stopped fighting the chakra seals. He let his chakra be forced back into his body. He had enough physical disguises on at the moment that no one would recognize him for at least a day. Slowly the pressure built up. It rose, it pushed, it shoved. His chakra did not like being contained. Containing his chakra only caused him to get injured.

He let out a blood curdling scream as his chakra pounded at his skull. Another scream and the chakra caused new gashes to form on his body. When his chakra couldn't get out in the safer ways, it formed it's own outlets.

Scuffling and shouts, alerted the barely conscious man that people were coming to see what the matter was. He could only hope that he was unconscious by the time they entered the cell. He truly didn't want to answer their questions, the pounding and pain was clouding his mind.

"Itachi…" he murmured before passing out.

The door was thrown open moments later. A pink haired medic-nin and the ANBU Crow stepped into the room. Both froze at the picture in front of them. Riku was unconscious on the floor and new gashes were forming on his skin before their eyes. It was as if a ghost was attacking the prisoner.

"Crow! Get him to the hospital wing. I need to wake the Hokage. I don't know how to handle this one! I can heal wounds, but if they won't stop forming?" the medic-nin ordered as she ran out of the cell, intent on her own mission.

Sighing, the ANBU picked the unconscious man up and swiftly headed down the hall. He didn't make it far before a dark haired man dropped silently behind him. With one deft move, the intruder hit Crow's temples hard. With a small thud, the two men hit the ground. The intruder moved forward and picked Riku up. His brown eyes looked over his unconscious burden with hidden concern. He knew Riku was strong, but he still needed to get him out of the village and wake him up. A person could only take so much of their own chakra attacking them!

The escape from the village was simple. The village was sleeping and the guards were too absorbed in their own card games to notice the two men exiting. It was the trek through the woods to a safe distance that had Riku's rescuer worried. Forcing chakra into his feet, he moved at a faster pace.

After nearly a half an hour of running the pair came to a halt in a clearing. The trees were thick around them, and Riku's rescuer knew it would be hard to track them. He had masked all signs of their route. Feeling safe, Riku was lowered to the ground gently.

It was the punch to the face and the stern, "Naruto! Get up and let your chakra out!" that woke Riku.

Sitting up Riku cursed, "Damn. I hate doing that… it kills!" Blue eyes looked up and met brown ones, "It took you long enough, Itachi! And stop calling me that! We're still to close to Konoha!"

In an uncharacteristic show of emotions Itachi rolled his eyes, "No one is around us, Naruto. If anyone was we wouldn't be sitting here calmly."

A low growl burst from Naruto as he glared at the older man, "Just shut up and get these damn seals off of me." He was having a hard enough time trying to heal himself and fight the seals.

A/N: Thought I would try my hand at a Naruto fic. And for those of you that are reading my FMA/HP story… please don't kill me! I will update it soon! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. I have an idea in my head and it'll hopefully come along nicely! Let me know what you thought!


	2. Is This Paradise?

_The beautiful blonde woman watched the boy in front of her intently. She knew he was hurting and she hated having to do this to him. She hated even thinking of offering him this. But, here was no other option. "I hate to ask you this, but you're the only one who could pull it off…" Tsunade began, "and the only I can think of that might even say yes." Her eyes dropped to the desk as she continued, "It's a long term S-class mission. I hate asking you this, but now is the perfect time."_

_Without a word the scene changed. Naruto was being spun around in a circle, as he shouted happily, "Itachi! Put me down!" The normally stoic raven haired man ignored the requests, continuing to spin the boy. _

_"You're like my little brother! Why would I ever let you go!" the missing-nin answered, a large smile on his face. Years away from Konoha had changed the Uchiha._

_Naruto couldn't help but laugh. For once he felt wanted and happy. Wrapping his arms around the man he answered, "Love you too, Itachi-kun!"_

_Once more the scene changed. This time the blonde's voice was loud and happy as he called to his former teacher. "Iruka-sensei, buy me ramen to celebrate?"_

_Confused the laughing teacher asked, "What are we celebrating?" He didn't wait to find out, but started to lead the way to Naruto's favorite restaurant. _

_A large grin appeared on Naruto's face as he answered, "My half birthday!"_

_The poor teacher nearly fell over in shock and surprise. After a short pause, he shook his head and continued walking. This was Naruto after all._

Naruto moaned as he twitched in his sleep. His body tried to roll, but strong arms held him still. Blinking the sleep and dreams out of his eyes in confusion, Naruto found himself being carried by his partner, Itachi. Judging by the sun it was nearly noon and their surroundings indicated they had moved further from danger.

"Itachi-kun?" Naruto asked quietly.

He received no answer. The man was back to his normal closed off mask. Naruto only sighed, he hated it when they had to return to base. While Itachi had changed some around him, it was better when they were alone. When they returned to the public or base, the man closed off once again. There was a small timid voice as Itachi spoke up, "Nightmares again, little one?"

Naruto huffed in annoyance, "I'm not little!" A smile was present on his face as he protested, however. "Not nightmares exactly… just memories," he added as he relaxed against Itachi's chest.

The calm moment was broken momentarily, as the two missing-nin felt the presence of a third person approaching. It only took a moment for the pair to recognize the approaching person. It was someone they knew, their muscles relaxed and they fell back into the relaxed state.

"Itachi-kun?" Naruto questioned sleepily. There was no reply, but he knew that the older man was listening. "Can we just stay here? Do we have to go back?" he questioned. A tightening of the arms was the only answer he received. Itachi had placed his mask back in place.

"Naruto, Itachi," a silky voice called out from the tree line. Hidan had come to greet them.

Grinning from his position, Naruto called out a greeting, "Hidan-chan!"

Hidan stepped out of the shadows a glare evident on his face. He hated being referred to as a girl, but there was nothing he could do to stop Naruto. The blonde man was a little ball of energy waiting to explode and the only one who seemed to have any control over him was Itachi. Itachi who happened to be extremely protective of the blonde. "How did the mission go?" Hidan asked forcing the glare from his eyes.

"Great!" Naruto answered, "We retrieved the scroll and I got to mess with the ANBU's minds!" Itachi remained silent once again. He let Naruto do all the talking for him. The blonde was certainly energized enough for the both of them. And here he went again, "How was your mission? Did you even get to it yet?"

A scowl appeared on the man's face. "No," he answered with a small growl, "we got sidetracked and I need to meet up with my… partner in a few hours."

Naruto grinned, "Then what are you doing standing here with us? Go find him!"

Tsunade watched the man in front of her. This was not the first time he had come to her with this request. Nor would it be the last. "Hokage-sama, please let me go after Naruto," the raven haired man pleaded, "It's been a few years and I know I am strong enough to retrieve him now."

Rubbing her brow, Tsunade answered quietly, "And if you manage to bring him back? Do you honestly believe he'll be welcomed back?"

"I'll make them welcome him back!" the man argued.

Tsunade shook her head, "Most of the village and the council hates him already. His move to Akatsuki only worsened their opinions of him." She tried explaining, "If he were to come home, they would have him killed. Do you want him to die, Sasuke?"

Sasuke shook his head stubbornly, "He came after me, it's only fair that I go after him. I will do it with or without your help. And when I bring him back, they will welcome him." His eyes flared red, this blood limit coming into play with his strong emotions.

There was a long moment of silence, as Tsunade studied the man in front of her. With a sigh, she nodded, "Fine. You may go after him and if you succeed I'll think of something when he comes back." She truly did miss her little broher. He was the only one with enough guts to treat her like an equal.

The base was empty. No one was there but Itachi and Naruto. The rest of the group had left on missions. Even the manager was gone. Grinning the blonde man started acting like a child and ran through the base shouting in glee. "Itachi-kun!" he called as he skidded to a stop in front of their shared room. "Itachi-kun? Can we have ramen tonight?" the blonde asked as he watched his partner sit down on his bed.

One would have thought that years with the Akatsuki would have forced Naruto to grow up. It didn't matter, however. Naruto may have become an adult, grown up physically. He was still a little kid at heart. Of course, he could kill and he could be serious, but he was still a large ball of energy.

"Naruto," Itachi started, a smile clear on his face, "we had Ramen for the last two nights."

The blonde ninja couldn't help but bounce up and down in his excitement, "But we successfully completed a mission! We need to celebrate!" Itachi knew there was more of a reason than that. He only stared at the man in front of him, waiting patiently for the explanation. Sighing, Naruto knew he wouldn't get away with it. Slowly he started explaining, "I need ramen. I wasn't ready to deal with Konoha, yet. Especially not Sasuke and Sakura."

Itachi nodded. It had taken him a few years to get used to the change in Konoha. Everything changed, and everything changed quickly. Even with a few years Naruto still had problems adjusting.

**A/N:** Well, it's short, but it's here. The second chapter with a few hints and new characters thrown in. Hope y'all liked it. I just spent the day at Gettysburg and am sunburned, tired and determined to become a Civil War reenactor. So I'm off to look up Maine outfits!


	3. What?

"Itachi?" the normally up peat voice called uncertainly. The blonde man was sprawled out on the couch, several empty ramen bowls on he table in front of him. The ramen hadn't its magic, he still felt down. "How long is this going to last?" he continued forlornly. "How long before they decide to take Kyuubi? How long before they kill me?" Silence reined over the room as Itachi moved slightly to let his eyes lock on Naruto's blue one's. "God, Itachi!" he moaned, "I've never even had a relationship, or even a real kiss! And at this rate I'll die before I do!"

The man had known this mission would change his life, and he had accepted it. He had been upset at the time it was offered and hadn't thought it through fully. Now here he was trapped in a situation, where he wasn't sure he would get out unscathed. The only thing he could believe was that he wouldn't see Konoha or his friends again. No more Tsunade. No more Iruka. No more Kakashi. His make-shift family had seen the last of him.

Barely above a whisper, Itachi's voice sounded, "I can fix that."

Blue eyes blinked in surprise as they fixed on cool brown ones. All Naruto could say was, "What?"

"I can fix that," Itachi repeated slowly.

Silence weighed heavily on the room before Naruto threw caution to the wind. Nodding his head, he barely managed to whisper, "Than fix it."

That was all it took. A moment later, Itachi had pinned him to the couch and pressed warm lips to his own. They were gentle and loving, yet firm and demanding at the same time. It was as if heaven had come to earth and surrounded Naruto. A warm tingling feeling slipped down the blonde's back as he wrapped his arms around Itachi's neck. His fingers slowly snaked their way into the long raven hair.

How long had they both wanted this? And why had they ever stupidly denied themselves each other? Slowly, they pulled apart. For a moment they watched each other in silence, warmth filling their bodies, and smiles on their usually cool faces.

Suddenly, Itachi stood up. A small whimper escaped Naruto's lips unwillingly. Itachi wasn't going to abandon him now, was he? His fears were put aside when the raven-haired man spoke, "Pack your things."

Once again, Naruto found himself blinking in surprise, "What…?"

"We're going back to Konoha," Itachi answered sternly.

At his words, Naruto sat up, blue eyes wide, "But Itachi-kun, we're not done with the mission."

"Yes, we are," the man stated, "There are only two targets left, Naruto. You and Kisame's target. We know their plans, we completed out latest mission, and now we're leaving before they get the chance to take you."

"I'm not afraid of dying, if that's what you're thinking," Naruto murmured softly.

Itachi shook his head, "I know you aren't. But we have successfully completed our mission, now pack your things we're going home."

* * *

_Yo Manager!_

_Itachi confessed his undying love for me! Aren't you happy? I finally got the cold-hearted bastard to admit his feelings! I told you I would! Now you owe me a weeks worth of ramen, Kisame! _

_Anyway, since he confessed his love and we've finished our mission, we're going on vacation. As neither of us has ever taken our vacations before, and you're not here to object, you can't stop us:P Well, we'll be gone for a few weeks. And don't come looking for us. You know how Itachi gets when he's angry. I truly don't want to have to deal with that and I'm sure you all would prefer to stay alive. _

_See you in a few weeks!_

_Naruto and Itachi-kun_

Leaving the note pinned to their manager's pillow, the two grabbed the essentials and took off out the door. Or rather, Naruto planted a kiss on Itachi's cheek and took of running as he called, "Tag! You're it!"

For several days the game of tag continued. To passer-byers it looked strange. Two missing-nin chasing each other down the road, each trying to kiss the other. To those that knew Itachi, well, they nearly died of heart attacks.

So it was much to their surprise that the two missing-nin found themselves at the gates of Konoha. Naruto came to a halt, directly before the gates, letting Itachi catch up to him easily. The shock on his partner's face was enough to stop the game for Itachi and he looked around concerned. Here they were. At… home?

"Time to go, ne?" Naruto asked unsteadily. For years the pair had lived in exile. And now they were returning home? They were positive the welcome would not be pleasant. Yet, they had to try.

Itachi stepped forward silently, placing Naruto behind him. "We would like to see the Hokage," he called out coldly to the ANBU guarding the gate.

The pair could feel the shock as it ripped through the line of ANBU. Here were two missing-nin, turning themselves in? Or were they here for a more sinister plan? Slowly, the ANBU Captain turned to one of his subordinates and ordered, "Tell the Hokage that, missing-nin Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Itachi wish to see her." This was beyond him, should be arrest them? Should they kill them? He didn't know, it was up to the Hokage. Maybe these two were a distraction?

Letting his normal energy return, and attempting to cover his shock, Naruto attached himself to Itachi's arm. "You'll get me ramen after this, right, Itachi-kun?" The ANBU watched in stunned silence as the normally cold and murderous missing-nin nodded and responded, "But it will cost you."

Standing on his toes, Naruto grinned and pressed his lips to the other's in a chaste kiss. "That work?" he asked innocently.

Trying to keep the smile from his face, Itachi nodded. He hated showing emotion in front of people. He was known as a cold and calculating murder, one that had been exiled by his village. No one was supposed to know that he really was a calm and somewhat warm person on the inside. No one but Naruto.

Suddenly, Naruto bound up to the gate bouncing up and down. "Tsunade-baa-chan!" he shouted.

"What do you want, brat?" a cold voice called from the top of the wall, the blonde Hokage looking down at the pair. "Why did you come here?" she questioned severely.

Her tone of voice caused the bouncing ball of energy to deflate and move back to stand next to his partner. His eyes dropped to the ground, and he fell silent. With an annoyed glare in his eye, Itachi slipped his hand into Naruto's before speaking up, "Hokage-sama, we've come home."

Before the Hokage could respond, one of the watching ANBU shouted, "And why would we allow to traitors back into our midst?" Several of the ANBU nodded in agreement, while Itachi's eyes turned murderous.

Naruto tugged on his hand gently, "Itachi-kun, this is stupid. Let's go back. We'll just send a postcard or something." The normally outgoing, full of himself, strong blonde had changed over the years. He knew the village hated him, and he had come to understand he would never be accepted there. After several years in Akatsuki, he had learned that life didn't have to be all about disappointments.

Without warning, the guard that had spoken up found himself flying over the gate and slamming into the dirt at the missing-nins' feet. "Brat, Uchiha-san, get your butts inside," the angry blonde called. Cracking her knuckles from where she had just punched the unlucky ANBU member.

* * *

**A/N:** There we go! Another chapter! And possibly a few people have figured out what's going on inside my head right now. . Anyway, let me know if you like or didn't. And I suppose I'll add in the warning that this is yaoi to my description…. Sorry if that's a surprise!

Erm... I would like to ask for a consultant on my story. I probably won't need too much help, but just someone there to ask if I do. If anyone wants to volunteer just PM me or email me or review and let me know! Only requirement is that you have email or AIM. One of those:P Thanks and hope you enjoyed!


	4. Not Unscathed

After much yelling, screaming, refusals and finally a fist to the face, the trio sat inside the Hokage's office silently. Alone. The trip itself had been hard. The villagers had not reacted kindly to seeing the two deadly missing-nin with their Hokage weapons still present. It was hard enough for Tsunade to convince the ANBU to stop trying to kill the pair, let alone protect them.

And here they were, sitting in the very office where everything had started. It was a rare moment for Tsunade, she didn't know how to start. Didn't know what to say. Finally, breaking the silence she said the only thing she could think of, "Report."

To the woman's surprise it was Itachi that answered, "Akatsuki has two demons left to collect. By now it should be down to just the Kyuubi. Kisame was supposed to collect the other last week." The Uchiha spoke quietly and to the point, but Tsunade's eyes were locked onto the huddled blonde man. "With only Naruto left, we took off claiming to be going on our well earned vacation, thanks to Naruto-kun."

The Hokage nodded, her eyes still locked on the blonde. "Naruto? Could I speak to Itachi alone for a moment?" she asked gently. Mute the man stood and left the room with only a small pause at Itachi's side for reassurance. Sharp blue eyes glared at Itachi after the door closed quietly, "What the hell happened to him?"

Unconsciously Itachi activated his Sharingan, as he strove to fight off the conflicting emotions. Eyes still flickering between red and brown he answered slowly, "What did you think would happen? He left a village that hated him when his friends were telling him they hated him and joined a group that at least pretended to care." The red became more prominent as he continued, "He may have come home alive, but he is not unscathed." He paused before adding, "Neither of us are."

Tsunade let her head sink into her hands. She had wronged the blonde brat and there wasn't anything she could do to fix it. He had been harmed emotionally because of her own stupidity. He wouldn't forgive her and she wouldn't forgive herself.

Outside Naruto leaned against the wall, four pairs of eyes locked on him. Four hands were clenched around various weapons ready to attack the moment he moved. Forcing a small grin onto his face he explained, "Baa-chan wanted to speak to Itachi-kun alone."

"Kun?" one of the ANBU asked outraged, "That murdering bastard?"

Blue eyes narrowed but other than a slight tensing of his muscles, Naruto remained the same. "That's right, isn't it?" he questioned slowly, "The murderous Uchiha and the demon boy Uzumaki." Voice dripping wih sarcasm Naruto continued, "Do forgive us for living, we won't do it again. Now if you'll forgive me, I have a demon to tell to shut up." Blue eyes slid shut and the blonde muttered to himself audible for all, "Kami, I hate it when he tries to make me kill people. You would think he'd realize that I don't listen." With those final words, the blue-eyed man's breathing evened out and he fell into a guarded meditation.

The guards watched in stunned silence, unsure of what to say or do. Some felt anger at the blonde, some felt regret at their actions toward him, and some remained indifferent. It was the Hokage's shouting that brought the five ninja's out of their own minds, "Panther, go retrieve Sasuke! And Naruto get your ass back in here!"

Blue eyes opened slowly and as if he hadn't been disturbed, the blonde strode back into the office as the ANBU Panther disappeared in a puff of smoke. Standing behind Itachi and refusing to sit, the blonde stared the woman down.

Tsunade was the first to give in as she spoke, "We'll need the two of you to stick around to help advise and plan as we work on the situation. We need you, somewhat out of the public's eye, however."

As normal, the knock on the door was perfectly timed with her announcement. "Come in." When the ANBU Crow opened the door and stepped in he froze. He couldn't decide if he should attack his brother or grab Naruto and tie him up so he couldn't escape. "Sasuke," Tsunade interrupted his thoughts, "Naruto and Itachi will be staying with you at the Uchiha compound. I trust they will explain everything to you. And please don't kill either of them." Three sets of eyes blinked at her in stunned silence. Shaking her head, Tsunade pointed to the door, a direct order to get out.

With three puffs of smoke the men disappeared. Sasuke opened his front door to find the missing-nin standing uncomfortably waiting for him. Glaring at the floor, he slipped his mask off and glanced around the room. Without a word he moved through the living room to the back and made his way up the stairs, the uncomfortable pair following him silently. Stopping in front of a door, Sasuke motioned, "Naruto, you can have the room next to mine. Itachi, you're room is still free."

The silent Naruto moved closer to his partner's side and spoke up quietly, "I'll stay with Itachi." The other man nodded, almost unnoticeably moving closer to Naruto in an attempt to protect him.

The younger Uchiha's eyes narrowed as he growled, "What did you do to my friend?"

With a glare, Naruto moved in front of Itachi before he could answer, "You're friend? Last I heard you hated me! I was the damn demon boy to you. So leave Itachi-kun alone!" Blue eyes closed for a moment as the man turned and moved down the hall, using his sense of smell to find Itachi's room. The door closed behind the upset ninja, as Itachi stared at his stunned brother.

"Watch yourself around, Naruto," Itachi warned as turned to follow his partner.

Sasuke stopped his brother quickly, "What is going on?"

Turning slowly, Itachi faced his brother. "We were placed on S-class missions," he answered quietly, "due to certain circumstances." Brown eyes met his brother's evenly, "They chose not to correct everyone who thought I murdered the family and sent me to spy on Akatsuki. Naruto fled his friends and a hateful village to join Akatsuki. We were the perfect spies."

The man turned and followed his partner to his room. Stopping at the door, he glanced back at his frozen brother, "It was more trying than you could believe. And last we heard, you hated both of us. Forgive us if we cling to those we believe safe."

* * *

**A/N:** Weeeeeee! Chapter four is done! Hope you all enjoy! I just got the base down for this lovely story. Let me know what you think and I'll work on getting this posted. :P Slightly short, but I think we'll all live. Now I'm off to play with people… possibly… 


End file.
